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FRIDAY · JULY 13, 2018 LA JOLLA VILLAGE NEWS
Local
Dockless bike share program, Spin, thrives at UC San Diego BY BLAKE BUNCH | LA JOLLA VILLAGE NEWS
First, there was DecoBike – an app-based bike share program that, among many frustrating points to locals, utilized centralized docks (storage locations) for the vehicles. That went the way of the Dodo. Next, citizens began to see brightly colored LimeBikes, Ofos, etc. ad nauseam populating boardwalks, streets and thoroughfares throughout the city. Then, there was the propagation of electronic scooters, dispensed by both Bird and LimeBike, causing a myriad of safety concerns and evaluation of the City’s current regulation. While the eco-conscious efforts of these vendors, as well as their providing an alternative to the City’s public transportation, the benefits are often overshadowed by NIMBY concerns. At the University of California San Diego, however, Spin, an app-based, dockless bike share program as well, has recently lauded their success on campus. The pilot program, in operation since December 2017, has shown more than 91,000 rides for more than 15,600 miles, which saved roughly 17,100 pounds of CO2. Obviously, UC San Diego’s vast campus provides a much different climate, with variably comparable traffic concerns to those of coastal communities. “For navigation inside a university, there’s nothing better than riding a bike or walking,” said Josh
Shawn Strande, deputy director of the San Diego Supercomputer Center (SDSC) utilizes Spin bikes daily.
Kavanagh, director of transportation at UC San Diego. “Ultimately, we want to support pedestrian-andbike-friendly walkways to allow this mode of transportation to flourish.” A majority of UC San Diego students arrive at campus via buses and other public transportation, so having centralized Spin “high use” locations close to bus stops is crucial. Not
only does this make getting to class easier for students and faculty, but also decongests public transport bus racks. To what does Kavanagh attribute to the success of Spin on UC San Diego’s campus? “The quality of the partner we’ve found in Spin,” Kavanagh said. “Whereas other communities have-
had trouble with congestion and safety, because we’ve partnered with one vendor, we don’t see multiple vendors over-providing bicycles.” Although Spin was launched solely on UC San Diego’s campus, it is not prohibited for non-students/faculty to download the app and use bikes in the area. Kavanagh says that at least 25 percent of users dur-
ing their pilot program are linked to non-UC email accounts. Perhaps a conscious neighbor model that other dock-less transport vendors have ignored, or simply don’t have the means or manpower to oversee, this summer, Spin will be running a trial program of sorts to deal with congestion. While some students and faculty are still attending classes and otherwise continuing their studies on a quiet campus, Spin and UC are trying out a model to which riders are rewarded for moving bikes from “low-use areas” to “hig-use” ones. Incentives to doing so could result in a free or discounted ride, or credits to the user’s account. “Also, during this exploratory trial, the program will be offering unlimited rides during the summer,” said Kavanagh. “This will ensure that the fleet is well-used, and will also allow us to gain a better idea of rates, which will allow for better use during the academic year. We’re fortunate to have Spin doing such a great job of not only regulating the bikes, but incentivizing users as well.” Could this model work, on a larger scale, in coastal communities? This issue of several vendors providing dockless transport seems like a Darwinist concept. Maybe if the City looked into a solo vendor in each field, things could be easier to regulate?
La Jolla MAD decision reversed, future appeal is likely BY DAVE SCHWAB | LA JOLLA VILLAGE NEWS
It’s been a see-saw battle with the La Jolla maintenance assessment district (MAD). It was legal — then it wasn’t. Now it might be again. Passed by a 56 percent to 44 percent margin by mail ballot of residents and businesses within La Jolla's downtown Village in November 2016, the MAD was supposed to have taken effect Jan. 1, 2018. Enhance La Jolla, nonprofit, was formed to lobby for the proposed MAD, and was sanctioned by La Jolla voters to administer the new MAD should it become operative. But a landlord group known as La Jolla Benefits Association (LJBA) filed a lawsuit to block formation of the La Jolla MAD on Dec. 28, 2016 in San Diego Superior Court. Attorney Maria Severson of the law firm of Aguirre & Severson LLP, representing LJBA, said landlords were arguing the proposed MAD “does not provide special benefits, but rather, only dresses up the City Charter’s mandated duty to provide special benefits. … The [MAD] is real-
ly just a second tax on services the City is supposed to already be providing.” In a Nov. 30, 2017 judgment, San Diego Judge Randa Trapp ruled the La Jolla MAD was unconstitutional. “The general public should not be required to pay for special benefits for the few, and the few specially benefited should not be subsidized by the general public,” Trapp stated. So the business improvement district, La Jolla Village Merchants Association, stepped in to continue basic Village maintenance functions, like watering hanging flower baskets. “LJVMA requested to the City back in March from our budget funds to move $9,000 from the design/landscape category to personnel to cover the part-time person we re-hired to water the plants, sweep and pick-up trash,” said Sheila Fortune, LJVMA’s former executive director. “This person was previously in our budget under the Sparkle & Shine campaign for almost three years, prior to this past December when we closed the program anticipating the start-up of
the MAD in January 2018.” Fortune noted the BID “also had to incur expenses of $3,500 for replanting the hanging flower pots, as they had all died.That was pulled from our contingency category. These expenses were covered due to the MAD not moving forward as anticipated, but had to be done in order to try and save the baskets and keep the cleaning services.” However, the situation with the MAD’s legality flip-flopped recently on June 27, after Judge Trapp revisited her previous ruling on the MAD’s unconstitutionality. The second time around, Trapp determined the benefits association “had no standing in the case.” In law, standing refers to the ability of a party to demonstrate to the court sufficient connection to, and harm from, the law or action challenged to support that party's participation in the case. “The judge did not overturn her ruling on the merits of our complaint, where we prevailed in her prior ruling,” said Lincoln Foster of LJBA. “However, she believed there was a technical flaw in the structure
of the plaintiff's entity, and therefore ruled that the plaintiff's structure did not permit her to revisit the merits. We believe the judge is in error, and do plan the appropriate appeal process.” Commented plaintiff ’s attorney Maria Severson: “The court decided in a six-page ruling that the maintenance assessment district was unlawful. We respectfully believe the post-judgment court decision regarding standing is in error, as the real party in interest in the plaintiff LLC is obligated to pay the tax, and was as of the date of the timely filing.” Added Severson: “We have scheduled the earliest available motion date for the court to reconsider the recent order and allow the legal challenge to go forward – especially having previously ruled it was invalid. To do otherwise would impose an unlawful assessment on the property owners within the MAD.” Ed Witt, Enhance La Jolla treasurer, said his group, which works closely with philanthropic nonprofit, fundraising La Jolla Community
Foundation, was pleased by this most recent turn of events. Witt noted the lawsuit “was not against the MAD or Enhance La Jolla, it was against the the City of San Diego for granting the MAD.” Witt said any future money spent by a MAD on community beautification would be carefully proscribed. “We’re not even legally allowed to empty a trash can,” said Witt, adding, “It’s a great way for La Jolla to have some control over the Village and how it appears. This will allow us to power wash sidewalks and a lot of other things. I think it will make a big difference. We’ll be able to restore La Jolla to the Jewel.” Witt noted a new Village MAD would benefit both residents and businesses. “The more businesses succeed, the more property values will go up and we’ll all enjoy a better life,” he said. “This is so important for everyone who loves and enjoys La Jolla. All of us will benefit from this community effort.” For more information visit www.enhancelajolla.org.